Thursday, October 27, 2005
Five sandy travellers
We have arrived in Libya, not an easy border to cross and we needed all the patience and persistance in the world to get through with a waiting time of nearly 6 hours. But hey, we did it and the children performed perfectly all day. In the evening we had dinner in Sabratha, camping with a view on the old Roman theatre! Not bad. The rest of the story will be told later as the computer here in Ghadames does not want to read our disks.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Desert
In all of Tozeur we see horses and carriages and although we used to avoid taking a tour with kids it’s different. Instead of the usual tour visiting all kinds of things we stick to a drive through the palm fields which turns out to be long enough for Rik, who wants to get out after 30 minutes! The palm fields are all around Tozeur and every garden has its own gardener to look after the trees. Besides the palm trees with dates there are orange, banana and granite apple trees. Unfortunately the oranges are still green and therefore not for sale yet. It’s not the western world where seasons seem unimportant for the steady supply of vegetables and fruit. But right beyond the last palm tree you find yourself in the desert. Without the water of the few remaining springs in Tozeur nothing grows over here as rain is hardly existing, the few raindrops that fell last night could nearly be counted! Desert in Tozeur is salt lakes, sand but also rocks, some small bushes here and there and several oasis filled with palm trees.
To get from Tozeur to Douz we cross a large salt lake on a dike. There is hardly any water but they collected enough salt to create some salty statues of camels next to the cafés along the road. The sun is shining and we easily reach temperatures above 30° in the car. It is not easy to leave paradise in search for the next place, but when we reach the Desert Club campsite in Douz we find 2 Dutch speaking children with lots of nice toys and Bart and Rik have a wonderful afternoon playing. In the meantime we get information from their parents about Libya and in the evening we enjoy a drink and a good conversation.
We find we are lucky because the weekly market is held and already during breakfast the goats and sheep can be heard. The market is full of animals and men, the only woman around sells camel saddles, ropes etc. One cow, a few rabbits, turkeys and a lot of baby chicken are for sale. Bart loves the baby chicken and tries to persuade us to buy one. But what to do with it in the small living area that we have at the moment? Maybe at home next year.
The next day we drive a tour in the desert south of Douz and see camels waiting for tourists, sandy hills and another market in El Farouane. Time to buy some special Ramadan sweets and take more pictures. Most older men wear white capes and have their heads covered too. The young men wear western clothes like the girls.
Every one seems to have a donkey carrier around here, only a few people own cars. We feel we are lucky to have one as it is so much easier to get around without having to find out when and where buses or vans leave for the destination. Whenever we are finished we continue and all food and drinks are available in our bus.
From Douz we drive to Matmata and enjoy driving through the mountains. In Matmata people used to live in dug out cave houses and there are still a few to be seen. In 1969 there was not even a house above the ground, but after some serious floods they started living above the ground. We choose to spend a night in cave hotel Sidi Driss where they filmed for Star Wars in 1976. Some of the materials used are still there and are an additional attraction for tourists. Busses full of tourists arrive here to have a look, maybe something to drink and eat and take some pictures. We had no idea so many Holywood films were recorded in Tunisia. Also one of our favorites: Life of Brian by Monty Python, the scene of the crucifixion where they try to sell pointy stones. Well enough stones to sell around here.
As restaurants open here after the cook has eaten his own meal it is too late for us and the boys so we cook and eat in our bus. I already feel so much at home in the bus that it is a uncomfortable feeling to leave it for one night in a hotel. In the evening we have a drink in the Star Wars bar and have enough light to read. The only four other guests remain in a different room to eat and drink. No you certainly do not meet many other individual travelers in Tunisia. The only hot spots seem to be in and around Tozeur, Douz and very likely the 4WD areas of Ksar Ghilane. The rest is reserved for the package deal tourist who likes sea and sand and makes a day trip.
One night in Matmata is enough so we continue via El Haddej to Tatatouine. In El Haddej more underground houses are still visible and a village boy shows us around. We see the wedding cave where married couples had to spend their first nights and a olive press cave where a camel or donkey used to walk around in a narrow area to move a crushing stone for the olives. After the crushing the olive parts were put in a basket and heavy stones pressed the oil out of them. To be honest the Roman system we saw in Sbeitla looked pretty much the same, but without the animal walking around and around. The nicest thing was the small house his baby brother played with, a copy of a cave house for kids.
From the mountains into the flat area to reach the hills of Tatatouine again. We followed some small roads to find the first hill ksar of Joumaa. The Berbers used these buildings to store their grains and other valuables and they look like fortresses. They were built to prevent invaders from stealing and did a good job. Bart and Rik enjoyed chasing the cat from one little house to the next while Hans found some nice ceiling decorations inside the caves. I did not feel like going inside but could enjoy the decorations from outside too. The famous Ksar Haddada did not reveal its secrets, we found the village but not the film-shooting site for the IV Star Wars movie. Well one cannot have it all. In Tataouine we arrived at Hotel Mabruk and could camp in their nice garden. We saw two Trabant cars that made it from Douz via Ksar Ghilane to Tataouine, but not without having to work hard to get them back on the road. According to the notes on the side of one car nearly every day had its own problem to solve. The 3 men still seemed to enjoy the trip, the woman had her own thoughts about it. No wonder we see a lot of men on a holiday who left their women at home to enjoy an adventurous trip. Often women prefer a more secure way of living I think and especially when kids are around.
From Tataouine we drive a loop road via the beautiful ksar of Ouled Soltane which you can find on nearly every post card. And for a good reason because it’s a beautiful 4 storey high building with stairs to reach upper levels and doors made of palm tree trunks. This ksar is not built on a hill top, but right next to the village and the loads of tourist have not yet arrived. It’s always nice to enjoy a place by yourself.
From Ouled Soltane the small but reasonable road continues to Ksar Ezzahra. Here the ksar is still partly in use. A small grocery shop is housed in one of the buildings and through a gate you reach the second courtyard. A nice place to enjoy some fruit out of sight. We sit next to the remains of a kind of chess game, with lids of bottles the two players play on the sandy play field, filled with lines and small holes. Unfortunately a boy thought to impress his friends by twisting Rik’s ear. Although Rik can handle pain his was crying out loud and Hans made a theater to show we could not except this behaviour. Normally the kids only receive kisses and other nice things so I was not prepared for this.
As the temperature was high we decided to leave the next day for Djerba, the tourist island for some swimming, playing and relaxing. But first the second loop road with the hill ksar of Chenini and Douenne was conquered by us. Some climbing was involved, either by our car on a goats track where luckily no other car was coming from the other side, or by us. At Douenne Rik and I made a drawing while Hans and Bart were climbing the rocks. Slightly overheated we reached the beach of Aghir and saw the 2 Dutchmen again. We found a spot in the shade and tried to cool down. Not easy and both Hans and I fell ill by the combination of heat, not enough fluids drunk and tiredness. Fortunately the boys have a great time playing in the sand and sea. So we are preparing for our Libyan leg of the trip, recovering and spending the last Tunisian dinars.
.
To get from Tozeur to Douz we cross a large salt lake on a dike. There is hardly any water but they collected enough salt to create some salty statues of camels next to the cafés along the road. The sun is shining and we easily reach temperatures above 30° in the car. It is not easy to leave paradise in search for the next place, but when we reach the Desert Club campsite in Douz we find 2 Dutch speaking children with lots of nice toys and Bart and Rik have a wonderful afternoon playing. In the meantime we get information from their parents about Libya and in the evening we enjoy a drink and a good conversation.
We find we are lucky because the weekly market is held and already during breakfast the goats and sheep can be heard. The market is full of animals and men, the only woman around sells camel saddles, ropes etc. One cow, a few rabbits, turkeys and a lot of baby chicken are for sale. Bart loves the baby chicken and tries to persuade us to buy one. But what to do with it in the small living area that we have at the moment? Maybe at home next year.
The next day we drive a tour in the desert south of Douz and see camels waiting for tourists, sandy hills and another market in El Farouane. Time to buy some special Ramadan sweets and take more pictures. Most older men wear white capes and have their heads covered too. The young men wear western clothes like the girls.
Every one seems to have a donkey carrier around here, only a few people own cars. We feel we are lucky to have one as it is so much easier to get around without having to find out when and where buses or vans leave for the destination. Whenever we are finished we continue and all food and drinks are available in our bus.
From Douz we drive to Matmata and enjoy driving through the mountains. In Matmata people used to live in dug out cave houses and there are still a few to be seen. In 1969 there was not even a house above the ground, but after some serious floods they started living above the ground. We choose to spend a night in cave hotel Sidi Driss where they filmed for Star Wars in 1976. Some of the materials used are still there and are an additional attraction for tourists. Busses full of tourists arrive here to have a look, maybe something to drink and eat and take some pictures. We had no idea so many Holywood films were recorded in Tunisia. Also one of our favorites: Life of Brian by Monty Python, the scene of the crucifixion where they try to sell pointy stones. Well enough stones to sell around here.
As restaurants open here after the cook has eaten his own meal it is too late for us and the boys so we cook and eat in our bus. I already feel so much at home in the bus that it is a uncomfortable feeling to leave it for one night in a hotel. In the evening we have a drink in the Star Wars bar and have enough light to read. The only four other guests remain in a different room to eat and drink. No you certainly do not meet many other individual travelers in Tunisia. The only hot spots seem to be in and around Tozeur, Douz and very likely the 4WD areas of Ksar Ghilane. The rest is reserved for the package deal tourist who likes sea and sand and makes a day trip.
One night in Matmata is enough so we continue via El Haddej to Tatatouine. In El Haddej more underground houses are still visible and a village boy shows us around. We see the wedding cave where married couples had to spend their first nights and a olive press cave where a camel or donkey used to walk around in a narrow area to move a crushing stone for the olives. After the crushing the olive parts were put in a basket and heavy stones pressed the oil out of them. To be honest the Roman system we saw in Sbeitla looked pretty much the same, but without the animal walking around and around. The nicest thing was the small house his baby brother played with, a copy of a cave house for kids.
From the mountains into the flat area to reach the hills of Tatatouine again. We followed some small roads to find the first hill ksar of Joumaa. The Berbers used these buildings to store their grains and other valuables and they look like fortresses. They were built to prevent invaders from stealing and did a good job. Bart and Rik enjoyed chasing the cat from one little house to the next while Hans found some nice ceiling decorations inside the caves. I did not feel like going inside but could enjoy the decorations from outside too. The famous Ksar Haddada did not reveal its secrets, we found the village but not the film-shooting site for the IV Star Wars movie. Well one cannot have it all. In Tataouine we arrived at Hotel Mabruk and could camp in their nice garden. We saw two Trabant cars that made it from Douz via Ksar Ghilane to Tataouine, but not without having to work hard to get them back on the road. According to the notes on the side of one car nearly every day had its own problem to solve. The 3 men still seemed to enjoy the trip, the woman had her own thoughts about it. No wonder we see a lot of men on a holiday who left their women at home to enjoy an adventurous trip. Often women prefer a more secure way of living I think and especially when kids are around.
From Tataouine we drive a loop road via the beautiful ksar of Ouled Soltane which you can find on nearly every post card. And for a good reason because it’s a beautiful 4 storey high building with stairs to reach upper levels and doors made of palm tree trunks. This ksar is not built on a hill top, but right next to the village and the loads of tourist have not yet arrived. It’s always nice to enjoy a place by yourself.
From Ouled Soltane the small but reasonable road continues to Ksar Ezzahra. Here the ksar is still partly in use. A small grocery shop is housed in one of the buildings and through a gate you reach the second courtyard. A nice place to enjoy some fruit out of sight. We sit next to the remains of a kind of chess game, with lids of bottles the two players play on the sandy play field, filled with lines and small holes. Unfortunately a boy thought to impress his friends by twisting Rik’s ear. Although Rik can handle pain his was crying out loud and Hans made a theater to show we could not except this behaviour. Normally the kids only receive kisses and other nice things so I was not prepared for this.
As the temperature was high we decided to leave the next day for Djerba, the tourist island for some swimming, playing and relaxing. But first the second loop road with the hill ksar of Chenini and Douenne was conquered by us. Some climbing was involved, either by our car on a goats track where luckily no other car was coming from the other side, or by us. At Douenne Rik and I made a drawing while Hans and Bart were climbing the rocks. Slightly overheated we reached the beach of Aghir and saw the 2 Dutchmen again. We found a spot in the shade and tried to cool down. Not easy and both Hans and I fell ill by the combination of heat, not enough fluids drunk and tiredness. Fortunately the boys have a great time playing in the sand and sea. So we are preparing for our Libyan leg of the trip, recovering and spending the last Tunisian dinars.
.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Computer
Where are the days that we were counting down until we would reach a town where hopefully a pile of mail would be waiting for us at the post office? During this trip we can regularly visit an Internet café to check our e-mail. We also carry a mobile phone to send and receive sms. But nevertheless we still listen to the Dutch world radio broadcasting for the news.
Also during our previous long trips we wrote our stories down in letters sent home by snail mail, copied and send on to friends and family. Now we carry the laptop computer and type our stories, copy them to a floppy disk and upload them on our website. If we are lucky even the digital camera works and we can add some photos. Rik and Bart will not know anything else and enjoy the computer too. Time to play Sesame street before going to bed or visiting www.bobthebuilder.com and paint one of Bob’s cars is also very nice.
From El Kef we drive to Kairouan and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the road. We stop in Makhtar but do not visit their Roman ruins, but search for the post office to mail Rik’s painting to grandma. Every one on the street is very kind and some say a warm welcome in French. When we see a guy carrying a watermelon we ask him where we can buy one. At home he answers and gives us one as a present. That’s very kind. We have lunch in the forest, yes there are pine tree forests in Tunisia, and enjoy the nice smell, the lack of dust and the shade. This is a really pleasant day but the feeling changes when we reach Kairouan. The wind blows the sand through the streets, all street signs are in Arabic only and we have difficulties finding our way to Hotel Continental. But we get there and can stay in their garden like the parents of Hans’ colleague did in March. Time to slaughter the watermelon, unfortunately the flies like to have their share too, but leave enough for us to enjoy. Diner is therefore eaten inside the campervan, a bit warm but after the killing fly fields at least fly-less. The bar of the hotel is a place to avoid, full of men drinking too much alcohol in this religious town. The first seats carry electricity though, so a reasonably good place to watch Sesame street and update our stories on the computer. The next day we stroll through the Medina and even with the map manage to get lost. Well you can never really get lost as long as you stay within the walls of the old city. Kairouan is a carpet city and the shopkeepers try to persuade you to enter their shop to enjoy the views on the city from their roofs. When you want to leave they try to talk you into looking at their carpets. But I have to say that they take no for an answer. That’s nice.
In the Great Mosque Hans has to change his shorts for real pants, but Bart with the age of 3 can continue. There is not much to see as we cannot enter the main hall as non-Moslems. The hall is filled with pillars taken from Roman sites and carpets for people to pray. Outside is a well that has been used often, you can see the scars made by the ropes that were used to lift the buckets full of water. The boys like to yell and scream and hear their voices through the echo. We also nearly have an accident in this place. Bart climbs the sun clock and jumps down while I say wait. He does not wait which means I have no other option than to jump down about a meter trying not to hit my head and make sure he does not. We manage but both are shaking and do not want to try again.
In the main tourist street we buy some local sweets made of honey and date filled cookies. A nice treat. We have a look in a local home. Like in the Southern part of Spain the houses are built in a square with a courtyard in the middle and rooms, kitchen etc built around it. Tile work is often very nice, while the outside of most houses is nothing special. The Governor’s House is another nice house, lots of decorated walls and ceilings, but nowadays a carpet shop. Not a place to look around at ease because they try to get your attention to the carpets of course.
In the afternoon we update the site at a very fast Internet connection and Bart plays Bob the builder for so long that he is exhausted afterwards. Outside we met a Tunisian who speaks Dutch very well. He claims he learned it in 6 months in Amsterdam! Well he does a lot better with his Dutch than we in Arabic. As we can still get by in French we only use shoekran to say thank you. And to read it is nearly impossible, already the fact that you need to read from right to left is quite strange to us.
The next day we decide to move to the coast and enjoy some more beaches at Monastir. Before Monastir we see whole flocks of flamingoes and enjoy watching them. We think we find a nice spot to park at a 3 star hotel next to the beach, with 2 swimming pools, slides etc but unfortunately the evening shift decides we can’t stay. That means we have to find another spot and are not very lucky at the Monastir Marina parking. Too much noise during the night. But the location is nice next to the harbour with its café and restaurant strip and close to a supermarket. So the next 2 nights we spend on the quiet site of the harbour and enjoy going out for dinner.
We visit the impressive ribat (=fort) of the town and climb the watchtower to enjoy the view of the surrounding area. We have a look at the tomb of Habib Bourgiba, the former president of Tunisia who modernized the country by even abandoning the Ramadan. His successor introduced it again, so since October 4 there is no eating and drinking for the locals during the day for 30 days. That means that all the coffee shops, where a lot of men used to hang around during our first days in Tunisia, are closed now. What would they do with all those extra hours?
We like Monastir much better than we thought we would but the weather is changing, more clouds come in each day and it’s time to continue south. First we visit the enormous Coliseum of El Jem. Of course built by the Romans and a huge arena that could contain 30.000 spectators watching all kind of fights there. Hans experienced in the dungeons the feeling of the fighters and made scaring howling noises. The boys immediately recognized him imitating the lions. Rik climbed all the stairs to the 4 th floor by himself followed by Bart and us. Sometimes you need to encourage them with nearly every step and other times they fly in front of you…
After lunch in the pouring rain we continue to Sbeitla, another Roman ruin by a back road. It is about 1 car wide and runs through fields of olive trees. Already in the Roman times they supplied the wealth and they still do. Unbelievable the soil is still capable of supporting the trees! It feels like a real adventure, especially when the shoulders start being soft sand. So when a car comes from the opposite site I try to hang on to the paved road, which usually is no problem. Without any problems we cover the 40 km and return on a normal road again. The maximum speed allowed is 90 km/hr, which we frequently reach, but more often I prefer a speed of 80. It differs only 10 km/hr but over here it makes quite a difference if you have to slow down for holes or slow traffic and besides that the road runs through many villages where the maximum speed is 50 km/hr.
When we arrive in Sbeitla dark clouds hang above us and before we find the right spot for the night hell starts. The heavy rains pour down and it gets dark, we hardly see anything and decide to wait in front of Hotel Flavius. After the rains Hans gets permission to stay in their garden and cooks us a meal in the hotel’ kitchen. After the boys are sleeping we challenge each other with a game Battle of the Sea. Nice to do after all the reading and writing, the score: 1 battle won each.
The next morning the sun shines like it never rained. We cross the street and wander on the old Roman streets along their temples, markets, houses and a real olive oil factory. Huge stones were used to press the olives and get the oil. The millstones were still visible and so were the stones that carried the wooden frames they used. A drawing showed us how it was functioning. We enjoyed the flowers on this site and continued to the impressive remains of the 3 temples at the Forum. Jupiter, Juno and Minerva all had their own temple, unfortunately all the ornaments are in the Bardo museum in Tunis. The small museum here contained some coins from Roman and later periods. Funny to see only square coins. We have seen coins with holes and in all kinds of materials and sizes, but never in a real square format.
Strange also to see the Ruins covered by snow!!! I never thought Tunisia having snow in the wintertime.
After filtering about 20 litres of water for our water tank in the campervan we drove on to the desert area. In our guidebook 2 campsites were mentioned in Midés a small settlement in an oasis in the mountains. When we arrive there they turn out to be closed by the police. Being 1 km from the Algerian border they decided it was not safe enough for tourists. In Tamerza we get permission from the Garde Nationale to camp in front of their office. It is safe and quiet because the town is on the other side of the hill. Tamerza has been rebuilt after heavy rains destroyed the mud brick old town. But the ruins next to the palm trees are very nice to watch during sunset. The new town is nothing to write home about, but they sell nice fruits, vegetables, yogurt and bread, which is also important for us travelers.
Waterfalls are the main attraction of Tamerza and after hiking in the canyon of Mides the boys cool down in the pool. Despite the flies it is a nice paradise as we are visiting outside the tour group hours. From Tozeur they run tours in jeeps and speed through the town, briefly visiting here and there. Thankfully we enjoy our own transport and time to visit at our own speed. It feels like a tourist mafia rushing through the streets, especially because they never travel alone but in rows of 6 to 8 cars. Even at the beautiful canyon of Midés they have about 10 minutes to stand all together at one lookout point, not even being allowed to walk to the start of the canyon 400 metres down the track! Let alone they can wander through the ruins of old Midés, looking for nice views of the canyon and old water containers dug into the floor to keep their water cool. Or to meet 2 other Dutch travelers who also want to do the same trip around the Mediterranean as we plan to do. It is really nice to chat about the trip and exchange experiences, this is also what travelling is about. We find we get onto the track followed by independent travellers. The campsite of Tozeur is a paradise in the desert. Full of shadow from palm trees, other travellers to talk to, within walking distance of the city, Internet café and shops. The trip to Tozeur was really beautiful, first steep parts through the mountains, seeing the occasional oasis full of palm trees in an area that is absolutely dry and empty. What a place to live. The last part we drive through a large salt lake where we actually see some water in small ponds. So it probably rained here too during the last couple of days.
Tozeur is quite a big city for a desert with about 34.000 inhabitants and large areas covered with palm trees. October is the time to harvest the dates and on the campsite ripe dates frequently fall down. Still we have not yet tasted them…
The first day we do nothing but chat with the Swiss travelers, clean the laundry, finish the Dutch story, update the diary, repair clothes and survive the heat of the day (30º in the shade) before entering the Internet café for an update. The boys find sand to play with, a hole filled with water to examine and can roam around. It feels like a holiday within the trip. Ok, we stay.
The only draw back is the call of the mosques at 4.30 in the morning. Fortunately the boys do not hear this, but I always do…Even the earplugs do not prevent me from waking up. Our second day we see some clouds in the sky and walk to town to see the special brick structures of the Tozeur houses. The bricks are further in or out of the wall and thus form geometric figures. At the market the butchers obviously sell camel meat. Instead of the cows’ head the camel’s head marks their shops. Nice for a picture and Bart takes a close look at the legs that are also on display. We decide to by turkey meat instead for our meal. In the afternoon we stroll through the palm tree area on the small paths and the boys sing happily of being their best friends. We sometimes get a different impression, but against the world they certainly unite.
Today we hike to the Belvedere Rocks and see they try to create a golf course with real green grass. What a crazy world we live in to waste so much water to a golf course! The boys find several slides and other things to play and are very happy. They already get used to see camels and dromedaries walking the streets, but still like to see the horses running by that carry the tourists around the town.
Also during our previous long trips we wrote our stories down in letters sent home by snail mail, copied and send on to friends and family. Now we carry the laptop computer and type our stories, copy them to a floppy disk and upload them on our website. If we are lucky even the digital camera works and we can add some photos. Rik and Bart will not know anything else and enjoy the computer too. Time to play Sesame street before going to bed or visiting www.bobthebuilder.com and paint one of Bob’s cars is also very nice.
From El Kef we drive to Kairouan and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the road. We stop in Makhtar but do not visit their Roman ruins, but search for the post office to mail Rik’s painting to grandma. Every one on the street is very kind and some say a warm welcome in French. When we see a guy carrying a watermelon we ask him where we can buy one. At home he answers and gives us one as a present. That’s very kind. We have lunch in the forest, yes there are pine tree forests in Tunisia, and enjoy the nice smell, the lack of dust and the shade. This is a really pleasant day but the feeling changes when we reach Kairouan. The wind blows the sand through the streets, all street signs are in Arabic only and we have difficulties finding our way to Hotel Continental. But we get there and can stay in their garden like the parents of Hans’ colleague did in March. Time to slaughter the watermelon, unfortunately the flies like to have their share too, but leave enough for us to enjoy. Diner is therefore eaten inside the campervan, a bit warm but after the killing fly fields at least fly-less. The bar of the hotel is a place to avoid, full of men drinking too much alcohol in this religious town. The first seats carry electricity though, so a reasonably good place to watch Sesame street and update our stories on the computer. The next day we stroll through the Medina and even with the map manage to get lost. Well you can never really get lost as long as you stay within the walls of the old city. Kairouan is a carpet city and the shopkeepers try to persuade you to enter their shop to enjoy the views on the city from their roofs. When you want to leave they try to talk you into looking at their carpets. But I have to say that they take no for an answer. That’s nice.
In the Great Mosque Hans has to change his shorts for real pants, but Bart with the age of 3 can continue. There is not much to see as we cannot enter the main hall as non-Moslems. The hall is filled with pillars taken from Roman sites and carpets for people to pray. Outside is a well that has been used often, you can see the scars made by the ropes that were used to lift the buckets full of water. The boys like to yell and scream and hear their voices through the echo. We also nearly have an accident in this place. Bart climbs the sun clock and jumps down while I say wait. He does not wait which means I have no other option than to jump down about a meter trying not to hit my head and make sure he does not. We manage but both are shaking and do not want to try again.
In the main tourist street we buy some local sweets made of honey and date filled cookies. A nice treat. We have a look in a local home. Like in the Southern part of Spain the houses are built in a square with a courtyard in the middle and rooms, kitchen etc built around it. Tile work is often very nice, while the outside of most houses is nothing special. The Governor’s House is another nice house, lots of decorated walls and ceilings, but nowadays a carpet shop. Not a place to look around at ease because they try to get your attention to the carpets of course.
In the afternoon we update the site at a very fast Internet connection and Bart plays Bob the builder for so long that he is exhausted afterwards. Outside we met a Tunisian who speaks Dutch very well. He claims he learned it in 6 months in Amsterdam! Well he does a lot better with his Dutch than we in Arabic. As we can still get by in French we only use shoekran to say thank you. And to read it is nearly impossible, already the fact that you need to read from right to left is quite strange to us.
The next day we decide to move to the coast and enjoy some more beaches at Monastir. Before Monastir we see whole flocks of flamingoes and enjoy watching them. We think we find a nice spot to park at a 3 star hotel next to the beach, with 2 swimming pools, slides etc but unfortunately the evening shift decides we can’t stay. That means we have to find another spot and are not very lucky at the Monastir Marina parking. Too much noise during the night. But the location is nice next to the harbour with its café and restaurant strip and close to a supermarket. So the next 2 nights we spend on the quiet site of the harbour and enjoy going out for dinner.
We visit the impressive ribat (=fort) of the town and climb the watchtower to enjoy the view of the surrounding area. We have a look at the tomb of Habib Bourgiba, the former president of Tunisia who modernized the country by even abandoning the Ramadan. His successor introduced it again, so since October 4 there is no eating and drinking for the locals during the day for 30 days. That means that all the coffee shops, where a lot of men used to hang around during our first days in Tunisia, are closed now. What would they do with all those extra hours?
We like Monastir much better than we thought we would but the weather is changing, more clouds come in each day and it’s time to continue south. First we visit the enormous Coliseum of El Jem. Of course built by the Romans and a huge arena that could contain 30.000 spectators watching all kind of fights there. Hans experienced in the dungeons the feeling of the fighters and made scaring howling noises. The boys immediately recognized him imitating the lions. Rik climbed all the stairs to the 4 th floor by himself followed by Bart and us. Sometimes you need to encourage them with nearly every step and other times they fly in front of you…
After lunch in the pouring rain we continue to Sbeitla, another Roman ruin by a back road. It is about 1 car wide and runs through fields of olive trees. Already in the Roman times they supplied the wealth and they still do. Unbelievable the soil is still capable of supporting the trees! It feels like a real adventure, especially when the shoulders start being soft sand. So when a car comes from the opposite site I try to hang on to the paved road, which usually is no problem. Without any problems we cover the 40 km and return on a normal road again. The maximum speed allowed is 90 km/hr, which we frequently reach, but more often I prefer a speed of 80. It differs only 10 km/hr but over here it makes quite a difference if you have to slow down for holes or slow traffic and besides that the road runs through many villages where the maximum speed is 50 km/hr.
When we arrive in Sbeitla dark clouds hang above us and before we find the right spot for the night hell starts. The heavy rains pour down and it gets dark, we hardly see anything and decide to wait in front of Hotel Flavius. After the rains Hans gets permission to stay in their garden and cooks us a meal in the hotel’ kitchen. After the boys are sleeping we challenge each other with a game Battle of the Sea. Nice to do after all the reading and writing, the score: 1 battle won each.
The next morning the sun shines like it never rained. We cross the street and wander on the old Roman streets along their temples, markets, houses and a real olive oil factory. Huge stones were used to press the olives and get the oil. The millstones were still visible and so were the stones that carried the wooden frames they used. A drawing showed us how it was functioning. We enjoyed the flowers on this site and continued to the impressive remains of the 3 temples at the Forum. Jupiter, Juno and Minerva all had their own temple, unfortunately all the ornaments are in the Bardo museum in Tunis. The small museum here contained some coins from Roman and later periods. Funny to see only square coins. We have seen coins with holes and in all kinds of materials and sizes, but never in a real square format.
Strange also to see the Ruins covered by snow!!! I never thought Tunisia having snow in the wintertime.
After filtering about 20 litres of water for our water tank in the campervan we drove on to the desert area. In our guidebook 2 campsites were mentioned in Midés a small settlement in an oasis in the mountains. When we arrive there they turn out to be closed by the police. Being 1 km from the Algerian border they decided it was not safe enough for tourists. In Tamerza we get permission from the Garde Nationale to camp in front of their office. It is safe and quiet because the town is on the other side of the hill. Tamerza has been rebuilt after heavy rains destroyed the mud brick old town. But the ruins next to the palm trees are very nice to watch during sunset. The new town is nothing to write home about, but they sell nice fruits, vegetables, yogurt and bread, which is also important for us travelers.
Waterfalls are the main attraction of Tamerza and after hiking in the canyon of Mides the boys cool down in the pool. Despite the flies it is a nice paradise as we are visiting outside the tour group hours. From Tozeur they run tours in jeeps and speed through the town, briefly visiting here and there. Thankfully we enjoy our own transport and time to visit at our own speed. It feels like a tourist mafia rushing through the streets, especially because they never travel alone but in rows of 6 to 8 cars. Even at the beautiful canyon of Midés they have about 10 minutes to stand all together at one lookout point, not even being allowed to walk to the start of the canyon 400 metres down the track! Let alone they can wander through the ruins of old Midés, looking for nice views of the canyon and old water containers dug into the floor to keep their water cool. Or to meet 2 other Dutch travelers who also want to do the same trip around the Mediterranean as we plan to do. It is really nice to chat about the trip and exchange experiences, this is also what travelling is about. We find we get onto the track followed by independent travellers. The campsite of Tozeur is a paradise in the desert. Full of shadow from palm trees, other travellers to talk to, within walking distance of the city, Internet café and shops. The trip to Tozeur was really beautiful, first steep parts through the mountains, seeing the occasional oasis full of palm trees in an area that is absolutely dry and empty. What a place to live. The last part we drive through a large salt lake where we actually see some water in small ponds. So it probably rained here too during the last couple of days.
Tozeur is quite a big city for a desert with about 34.000 inhabitants and large areas covered with palm trees. October is the time to harvest the dates and on the campsite ripe dates frequently fall down. Still we have not yet tasted them…
The first day we do nothing but chat with the Swiss travelers, clean the laundry, finish the Dutch story, update the diary, repair clothes and survive the heat of the day (30º in the shade) before entering the Internet café for an update. The boys find sand to play with, a hole filled with water to examine and can roam around. It feels like a holiday within the trip. Ok, we stay.
The only draw back is the call of the mosques at 4.30 in the morning. Fortunately the boys do not hear this, but I always do…Even the earplugs do not prevent me from waking up. Our second day we see some clouds in the sky and walk to town to see the special brick structures of the Tozeur houses. The bricks are further in or out of the wall and thus form geometric figures. At the market the butchers obviously sell camel meat. Instead of the cows’ head the camel’s head marks their shops. Nice for a picture and Bart takes a close look at the legs that are also on display. We decide to by turkey meat instead for our meal. In the afternoon we stroll through the palm tree area on the small paths and the boys sing happily of being their best friends. We sometimes get a different impression, but against the world they certainly unite.
Today we hike to the Belvedere Rocks and see they try to create a golf course with real green grass. What a crazy world we live in to waste so much water to a golf course! The boys find several slides and other things to play and are very happy. They already get used to see camels and dromedaries walking the streets, but still like to see the horses running by that carry the tourists around the town.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Beaches and beyond
It is time for an update of our site so we catch the train to Tunis. It stops at every station there is but we easily reach town without having to worry where to go and where to park. Besides that the boys love trains. We immediately head for the Medina, an old living quarter full of stores, shops and small streets. Not easy to use the stroller, but we manage. Not that Rik is in the stroller, he is high up in the air, in the back carrier. But Bart has some adjustment problems so we rather push than talk him through town. There is plenty to see, we never like all the touristy items, but Bart loves them. Especially the 2 small turtles in a cage enjoying their salad. He can ask more questions than we can answer. But I prefer him being interested to being a drag, asking for sweets, something to drink, being lifted and carried etc.Thanks to the Lonely Planet we also find our way to quiet parts of the Medina, where life is still as it used to be. We have a look in a mausoleum where about a hundred tombs are on the floors. We nearly used one as a seat, which would be very impolite, but the workers have thrown their jackets right on top of some.
For the first time in our lives we enjoy a French Fries bum with egg and spicy vegetables. Not bad and luckily the boys sleep during our lunch break… In the slowest internet connection I have known so far I manage to update our site. It’s not easy when the keyboard has a different lay out and everything is in French (Arabic would have made things impossible though!)
We leave the Bardo museum for a next time (?) and continue to Bizerte. After 2 nights in a hotel it is great to be back camping. There is a large playing ground, not quite safe to Dutch standards, but Rik and Bart have great fun. Bart is the king, Rik the prince and on top of the slide is their castle. They do not need to go anywhere else, but we do. We need to do some shopping in the village. Soon we see the donkeys carrying all kinds of goods and people, women covered in white only showing their faces, men lounging in front of a café, fruit stalls and a real cows head shows exactly where the butcher is. The one stop shopping is not done over here, so we buy fruit in one stall, bread in another, sausages at the butchers, pasta, yogurt and biscuits at a grocery and fresh vegetables at another stall. It is not easy to find nice vegetables when all you see is peppers and dusty tomatoes. But like everywhere else in the world there are carrots for sale.
After the shopping we go swimming and even use the snorkeling gear to explore a small piece of corral with some nice fish. Bart happily splashes around on the new beach shoes his grandma bought him for the trip. Rik prefers to play with his toys in the sand. Without getting sun burned we return to the campground, only a 5 minutes walk away. How lucky we are only to find they are burning thrash that gives a terrible smoke and smell around the place. Well, one can’t have it all.
Lake Ichkeul is the next stop. It is a large lake that hosts thousands of migrating birds every year. Unfortunately we arrive too early in the season and there are only a few birds to be seen. Even through the binoculars we can hardly find one. But the track shows traces of the buffalo that live here too and that is also interesting. Bart creates whole theories of where they went and which way they left the road. It’s fun to join him in his explorations.
We continue on a very bad road that is under construction while it is hot. It’s windy and the average speed is 45 km/hour so it consumes more time than expected to get to our next spot. In Tabarka, a coastal town we are surprised by a fort situated high on a hill. We find a parking place right next to the beach and enjoy a cool breeze and the splendid view while the boys enjoy a drink and run around on the sand. We decide to continue for the last 30 km and luckily the road is all right. In Ain Draham the manager of a hostel informs us there is a campsite in the woods. How lucky again. It is not signposted, but after asking we find the spot. The caretaker welcomes us and supplies us with fresh eggs for the boys. During dinner 4 woodpeckers show up, such a nice surprise.
We come to Ain Draham to hike in the cork woods and start right from the campsite. Lovely views, studying beetles carrying dung, looking for the footprints of wild boars and deer make the hike a nice experience.
In town Hans decides to visit a barber for a Tunisian haircut. It’s a man only shop but they do not seem to mind that I wait with the kids for Hans to be finished. The funny thing is that the remaining hair is washed after the haircut! Rik needs a haircut too but after some time he wants to flee his wooden chair. So the singing bird is introduced right in front of him and that keeps him busy for a while. The only disadvantage for the hairdresser is that Bart is around too to watch the bird…No he does not want his hair cut. Only 5 Tunisian dinar lighter we leave the place, about 10 times less than in Holland and the result is the same!
From here we visit the Roman ruins of Bulla Regia. We do not expect much after Carthage, but easily spend 2 hours exploring the beautiful place. The theater is still in a good condition and we see 2 young Dutch actors on stage. Bart and Rik like to have our attention and here the acoustic is superb. Further on there are a few underground houses that we can enter. They are nice and cool in the heat of the day and contain some nice mosaic floors. What a clever idea to live underground. We roam around and have a great time before returning to our cork woods.
From Bulla Regia to Dougga is a small step in mankind as Dougga is also a Roman site, but it is a 2 hours drive. High on the hill there are a lot of remains from temples, baths, streets and the Forum building is still towering high above us. For the kids it is too much so I spend some time drawing with them and enjoying ice cream. In the meanwhile Hans runs around to absorb as much as possible. We have lunch near our campervan and wonder why most tourist buses arrive here in the heat of the day. I exchange some information with a French campervan owner who traveled in Tunisia too before we leave for El Kef. El Kef does not have a campsite but we find a nice spot next to the three star hotel Leklil. It’s not cheap with 20 TD per night but we have our own terrace, can use their bath and electricity and enjoy the view on the old town with the kasbah (fortress) right on the top. The boys definitely needed a bath and so did we. So they are splashing around while I try to keep the bathroom a bit decent. But we have fun and feel like being born again afterwards.
The kasbah is worth a visit and the caretaker shows us around. The views on the town and the valleys are nice. So are the small streets around it and the museum I visit by myself while the boys have their fruit in the campervan. The museum shows a lot of the clothing, jewellery, tools and even a tent from the Berbers that live in the area. It is very well displayed and I have a personal guide to inform me in his rapid French. After that it is time for me too to visit a hairdresser. The lady keeps on eye on her 2 children while cutting my hair. It would not be my choice to work like that, but she does a good job. She likes to straighten all my hair though and I always like some volume so as soon as I am out of sight I try to get that back. No change, she used a hairdryer and some fixing stuff so I suppose I need to wash it first, maybe a night’s sleep will do the right job.
